Leo's Solo Quest
by EugeneZuze
Summary: Leo made a promise and he will uphold it. the gods begin to back up his promise by sending a prophecy to send him on a solo quest. taking his dragon ship the Argo II, he heads off to try to find a particular uncharted isle that is designed to not be refound.
1. The prophecy

6

This takes place after the battle with Gaia. It is being written before the last book has come out. For the sake of the story, assume that they won with everybody making it out alive (except Octavian but no one liked him anyway. It was the only good thing that Gaia did. May he rest in pieces like the teddy bears he has slain) and the camps are in the process of being rebuilt.

Leo was tinkering with the Archimedes sphere, trying to see if he could rig it to do something useful, like become a soldering gun, or send messages around the camp, or give that annoying kid who kept boasting about his battle skills that didn't exist an impromptu haircut. The sun was starting to set and the bell for dinner rang, reminding him of how hungry he was.

As he scraped some of his food into the fire as an offering, he hesitated for a second and sacrificed a little more to his dad. He thought of how tired he had looked the last time he visited to help rebuild some of the more intricate parts and machines of Camp-Half-Blood.

He sat down at the table with Jason and Percy hoping to get to talk with them. They were in the middle of a conversation and greeted him when he sat down, but quickly continued, almost ignoring Leo. They were talking about the finer details of the plans to rebuild the big house and most of the weapon sheds so he could wait through this important conversation.

His thought began to drift off. They had done this a lot recently and Leo knew why. "Dude, you are so quiet, is something wrong?" Percy asked waving his hand in front of Leo's face to get his attention.

"Nothing wrong, I just wanted to talk to you guys."

"Well, fire away," Jason said, obviously glad to get off the subject of rebuilding.

"Well, you see," Leo started but was interrupted by Annabeth who stood up on a chair so she could speak to everyone.

"Thank you for your attention. Rachael just told me that she has received a prophecy and she needs everyone to gather at the fire pit immediately after dinner. Quite honestly, I don't see what could be so important, but I have faith in her. So, immediately after dinner, head on over there. Thanks." She sat back down and began whispering to Rachael who kept glancing at Leo and smiling.

Leo was one of the last ones to stand and head for the door. As he was passing the path that lead to the sword-training arena, a shimmer caught his eye. Looking over, he saw Rachael staring at him. She beckoned him over and he obeyed. Her bodyguard was nowhere to be seen which Leo was ok with because that guy from Ares' house freaked him out.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, a little of his confusion showing in his voice.

"I just thought I'd let you know that you needed to pack."

"For what?" Leo asked, shocked.

"Oh, just pack and meet at the fire pit." With that she turned and slowly meandered off in the general direction of the meeting. Freaky, he thought, heading to his cabin. As he stood next to his bunk by his worktable, he realized that he didn't know what he was packing for. He always had his tool belt on, and his clothes would stay clean, but did he need anything else?

Other than food, he couldn't think of much; just his Archimedes sphere and a few of his smaller projects that he could fit in his belt. He turned and saw a knapsack sitting on his bed. He could have sworn it wasn't there not twelve seconds ago the last time he looked. Peeking inside he saw it was filled with a few days supplies of ambrosia. Ambrosia? He thought, what am I getting myself into? He closed the sack and slung it over his shoulder, heading to the meeting. By the time he got there, all of the formalities were over and Chiron was standing in the middle, giving reports on deadlines of finishing buildings and such.

Leo stood at the edge of the firelight, wandering if this was what the meeting was all about. When Chiron finished, Rachael Elizabeth Dare stood up and walked to the edge of the fire, staring at its brightest ember in the middle. She raised her hands to the sky as if in prayer and the smoke began to condense and form a sphere above the fire. Leo's jaw hit the dirt. In the middle was a picture of the garden that he had been dreaming of for the past few weeks. He immediately knew what was happening.

"Fellow demigods, an unusual prophecy has been brought to me. Here is what it says. '_The fire shall be brought through water and wind to restart a flame of eons ago, this single flame shall burn for all to see but not approach_' one of the campers here is being called on a quest, a solo quest." A bout of whispering swept through the crowd. A solo quest was almost unheard of and extremely dangerous. Leo knew that and he didn't like it one bit.

"Leo Valdez," Rachael called, "step forward, please." He took one tentative step and every eye turned to him making him falter. Recovering quickly, he walked the rest of the way and stood, staring at Rachael. "Leo, do you accept this solo quest to fulfill this strange prophesy?"

Leo thought of that garden and the memories it brought. Without much hesitation, he said, "Of course I do."

"Then I hereby send you off with the blessings of the gods. You will leave tomorrow."

The circle was empty, but Leo still stood there, staring into the dying embers. He didn't know which god had sent the prophecy, but he knew it wasn't his father or Zeus. Someone walked up behind him and he turned quickly, alert.

"Hey," it was Piper.

"Oh, hey, can I help you?"

"I just saw that you were still standing in the exact same spot. Which is really unusual for you so I thought I'd see if you were ok."

"Yeah I'm fine. Just thinking about the quest, that's all." He shuffled his feet nervously wishing that the conversation could be over.

"Before you go tomorrow, make sure you come see us. Promise?"

"Promise." He said, smiling for the first time since dinner. She gave him a hug and jogged off. Curfew was in a few minutes and she didn't want to be late. Quite frankly, Leo couldn't care less about curfew, especially tonight. He heard Chiron's hooves clopping against the stones as he approached.

They both stood there in silence for a moment. Chiron broke the spell by saying, "You should probably go check on Festus. You haven't been around him in a few days; you might want to make sure everything is ready." Leo gave a sigh and nodded, walking off to the lake where the ship sat and waited.

He woke up before the rest of his cabin and snuck outside to get some fresh air. He found Percy, Annabeth, Frank, Hazel, Jason, and Piper standing around, talking. Hazel was the first to spot him in the gloom of the setting moon and beckoned him over. The circle spread out to allow room for him and everyone started talking at once. He had to set his arms on fire to get them to finally shut up and let him speak. "To answer your questions, no, I wasn't expecting this, yes I do know what I have to do, and yes, this does have everything to do with what happened after Khione threw me off the ship. The only thing I don't know is how I will get there, and what exact trials await me but I have a feeling they won't be as difficult as the past couple of months."

Everyone remained silent. Piper reached behind her back and grabbed the cornucopia. "Here, you will need food." She gave him a hug and stepped back Annabeth stepped up and handed him a celestial bronze dagger.

"Just in case" was all she said before hugging him and stepping back by Percy. Jason stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder.

"If you are ever in trouble in the sky, just call for some help and my friends will come." Leo nodded.

"Same with the sea," Percy piped up, "I'll pray to my dad for safe passage for you if necessary.

Frank and Hazel stepped up together and handed him a small bag. Hazel said, "My dad told me to give this to you, something about having to get back at Jupiter for something or another. And don't ask me what's in it, I have no clue." He took it and stuffed it in his tool belt. They both gave him a hug and stepped back.

Leo felt a thud through the ground and looked around. The sun was starting to come up and he could see a silhouette of someone running towards them. He smiled when he realized it was Tyson, jogging and waiving to get their attention. He came up, not even out of breath and knelt down to get eye level with them.

"Forge Buddy, I made this for you." He said, holding out his hand. In his palm was a small, thick celestial bronze shield. By the grip, was an indention. The front was smooth and shiny and it seemed to glow even in the light of the rising sun. "Can I see your mechanical ball quickly, please?" He asked holding out his other hand. Leo hesitantly handed it over and Tyson turned the shield over and placed it into the indention by the grip. It immediately stared humming and shaking. Within seconds, it was spinning in his palm, and then floating in the air with the smooth part up. It had turned into a flying saucer.

Tyson waved his hand and the saucer followed it, moving in an arch. Quickly grabbing it, he pulled out the sphere and handed them both to Leo. "Also, if you push that before you insert the ball," he said pointing to a well hidden button next to the indention, "you can use it to fly short distances. You can stand on top of it. Although it has a one hundred and fifty pound weight limit." He stepped back and smiled, obviously pleased with himself. He may have a simple mind, but he could still surprise even Leo with his building skills.

"Thanks man, its just what I might need." Tyson started tearing up and he scooped them all into a big group hug with Leo in the middle. As much as he wanted the moment to last, Leo knew he had to head off.

The entire camp was crowded by the beach of the lake as Leo made the final few adjustments on the control panel. Festus gave a whir of satisfaction as he prepared for this journey. Leo looked at the crowd one last time and waved. A round of cheers went up as the boat lifted into the sky and turned towards the Atlantic Ocean, and towards the beginning of Leo's quest.


	2. The Storm

The coastline was in view over the bow and the sun was just over the horizon. Leo stared at the buildings below wandering how he was going to proceed. He walked below deck and paced around the engine room, tightening a bolt here, checking temperatures there. He reached into his belt to grab a socket wrench and his finger brushed up against something that stopped him cold. Pulling it out, he rushed over to his quarters and set it down on Buford the Wonder table.

He was staring at the contraption he had taken from the dwarfs that Odysseus had started. Turning it over in his hands, he began to feel how it worked. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out something that he had been guarding with his life. The bluish crystal from the cave from Ogygea seemed to glow as if it knew it was going back. He gently placed it in the crevice on the top of the machine. Nothing seemed to happen.

The Crystal quickly grew blindingly bright forcing Leo to look away. When it dimmed down, he looked back and saw that a small piece of paper was protruding from a slit in the side that he was sure hadn't been there before. As he leaned in closer to examine the device, he realized that it was making a small, rhythmic ticking noise like a clock.

Picking up the piece of paper that looked like a fortune from a fortune cookie, he read out loud, "the only way to find a place which is lost is to get lost yourself." Sighing, he said, "Thanks Confucius. Really freaking helpful." A second slip of paper slid out, "Iris, thank you very much.' "My bad," he said, looking up to the ceiling. He walked back on to the deck and looked around. It was annoyingly quiet with absolutely no one around and his ADHD was starting to kick in.

The coast of Manhattan was long gone and there was nothing to look at but the ocean. Huh, he thought to himself, this has been strangely quiet so far. Granted there is only one demigod, but I know there are still monsters about. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the wind started to pick up and he smacked his forehead, not believing how stupid he was. A person on a quest is never supposed to think that, it always comes back to bite them.

He ran to the wheel and started twirling the Wii remote to adjust the riggings to try and counteract the wind. Storm clouds grew quickly overhead and Leo knew it wasn't a natural storm.

"Oh, great," he said aloud to himself, "I forgot, I have one of the most powerful gods against me on this quest." Zeus was most definitely not going easy on him. He looked down at the control panel and saw from the navigation that they were being tossed around quite severely. He froze for a second as the thought hit him. "Festus!" the dragonhead was nipping at the anemoi thuellai now flying around and ramming into the hull, "I have an idea, turn off all navigation systems completely!" The dragon started whirring and clicking in the language that only Leo could understand. "Yes, I know it's stupid, but you have to trust me, turn them off." There was a moment's hesitation, and then the screen below him went black.

"Alright, now we're getting nowhere!" Leo shouted with joy. "Hold on Festus, we will start going down as soon as we are good and lost." He waited about two minutes, shooting fireballs at the swooping anemoi thuellai, before starting the gradual decent. Leo was starting to get worn out from shooting all the fireballs, but before he was completely tuckered out, the towering waves of the ocean came into view below them.

The anemoi thuellai became frantic and began increasing their attacking speed, ramming them over and over. As soon as the hull touched the water, the storm quickly dissipated and the waves died down. "Thanks, Poseidon. I really needed that." The skies had cleared and a slow current kicked up, making them drift in an unknown direction. Leo checked on the dragonhead to see if there was any damage and luckily there wasn't more than a small dent or two. Heading back down to his quarters, he straightened a few crooked pictures on the wall and looked down at the device with the crystal. It just kept ticking away as if nothing happened.

Buford was stumbling around; the ride must have seized up his gyroscope. With a quick adjustment, he was back to standing still.

Leo took out one of his small projects and began tinkering with it. Before long, he had a crude automaton spider-like machine. He switched it on and it scurried up the wall and hid behind a shelf. Great, he thought, another glitch machine. Oh well, another thing to keep me busy later. He gave a big yawn and looked at the clock on the wall. It was definitely getting late and he was definitely bushed. Crawling into his bed, de drifted off to sleep.

He felt warm. Opening his eyes, he saw nothing but red and orange. He could barely move and he realized that he wasn't breathing. He couldn't breath. He flailed his arms and tried to swim to the surface, but which way was up? His vision grew dim as the oxygen in his body was depleting. He realized he was in lava. He may have been fireproof, but he still had to breath. A current began to kick up and it pushed him up to the surface. He inhaled deeply and savored the air. Frantically looking around, he could see no place to get out; it was just a sea of lava with no end in sight. The current began dragging him back down, he didn't have time to take a breath before his head went under again.

Further and further down. Hotter and hotter it became. When his lungs felt like they would burst, he sat up gasping for air, still in his bed.


	3. The Maelstrom

Leo was staring at the ocean, stomach twisting in knots. A few days had passed since the storm forced them to stay on the water. The mechanical oars were damage by the wind spirits and a few of them were just barely hanging on. He had fixed three of them, but the rest were taking too much time. He hauled himself over the side and began working on the fourth one so he could at least start moving again without going in circles.

He worked till the sun was touching the horizon and his stomach was growling too loud to ignore. Climbing back over the railing, he pressed a few buttons on the control panel and the four fixed oars began moving and slowly paddling. Walking down to the dining table, he got some food from the cornucopia and ate hotdogs and baked beans.

The solitude of the empty room began to press down on him. He looked at the monitors showing Camp-Half-Blood and his heart twisted. It was showing Percy and Annabeth sitting on top of a hill overlooking the lake holding hands. On another was Frank and Hazel, sitting on a bench and laughing. If he calculated right, tomorrow was the day that those two headed over to New Rome to help rebuild there and so Frank could take up the chair as Praetor.

On the last one was Jason and Piper, strolling through the forest. His heart clenched even tighter as he remembered what he was doing. He couldn't wait to set foot on the island and find Calypso. Their last few seconds together kept running through his head, that kiss kept repeating like a torturous movie.

The sound of an explosion yanked him out of his thoughts and shook his bones. Running back on deck his stomach dropped. Looking up, the clouds were getting extremely thick and dark. Thunder rolled up above him and lightning struck the water a hundred feet of the starboard side.

"Yo, Poseidon. I hate to ask twice, buddy, but do you think you could give me a little more help. I don't know about you, but I don't think I want to get fried." A bolt of lighting struck fifty feet off the port side and snapped Leo out of his trance. He rushed to the control panel, secured himself with a rope to the pole, and retracted the metal oars to give Zeus less of a target, though he wasn't sure it would help much.

He saw a funnel cloud start spinning and reaching right for the _Argo II. _The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt another bolt charging up. Time seemed to slow down as the spark raced towards him. He was sure it was over, all of this for naught. Before the bot reached him, a wave came up over him and absorbed the bolt. The water washed over the sides and soaked the deck, but Leo's clothes remained dry.

The boat jerked under him and changed course. He rushed over to the side and looked over. His stomach did a flip as he stared right into a maelstrom. The edge had just caught the boat and was sucking them in. the funnel cloud was sucked to the center as well. Leo couldn't believe his eyes as he saw Poseidon rise up out of the middle and meet Zeus coming out of the funnel cloud. They began wrestling and lightning shot all around them a few bolts almost hitting the ship.

The ship got closer and closer to the skirmish as the maelstrom brought him closer and closer to the middle. They were both yelling and thunder kept crashing the heart of the maelstrom was staring him in the eye and he knew he had to steer into it to survive. Water began to splash over the deck and Leo only could barely hear what the gods were saying but he was able to catch Poseidon saying, "Just let her go. Why do you still hold her hostage?" In response, Zeus bellowed in anger and struggled harder to overpower his brother. Hi reached for the boat but before he could reach, the maelstrom swallowed them, bringing them out of his reach.

The impact knocked Leo unconscious.

When he came to, he was floating and still tethered to the pole. He was submerged in water, but he could still breathe like he was able to when he was with Frank down here. A man in a Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals was walking around the deck, observing the different parts. Leo drifted down to where his feet were touching the deck and it was as if he wasn't surrounded by water. He walked over to the man and waited for him to finish observing the handrail.

He stood up and faced Leo. "Thanks, Poseidon." The man smiled that, 'you owe me' smile and continued walking around.

"This is a nice ship you have here. Sails like a charm, doesn't it?" Leo just shrugged. "You did an excellent job on it. Not many ships can withstand the wrath of Zeus for that long and come out with such little damage."

"I guess it helps when it is made of metal." Leo replied chuckling. They both shared a quick laugh that died into an awkward silence.

"So you really want to get back to that island, don't you?" the old man's weather worn face showed concern.

"Well, I did swear on the River Styx that I would go back. And I don't even want to think abut what would happen to me if I broke that promise, so yeah. I do. And besides, I caught a glimpse of how she feels when I was looking in the monitors at Camp-Half-Blood. She has suffered feeling like that for over two thousand years. I need to break that cycle. Why would Zeus do that to her? What did she do to deserve it?"

"That is not something I can answer. Though I know you will find out eventually. Now, I can bring you to the place where you can cross over into the area of the island, but no further." He brought his fingers up to his mouth and whistled. Three hippocampi swam up behind Leo and took positions in front of Festus. Poseidon produced ropes from kelp and hitched them to the dragonhead and the hippocampi.

"You might want to re-secure yourself for this trip." Leo rushed back to the control panel and retied the rope around his waist. When he looked up, Poseidon was gone. The lead hippocampi looked back at him once and seemed to nod. Leo nodded back and they took off. The force of the water rushing past him immediately knocked him off his feet and the only thing that kept him with the boat was the rope.

He fought the current and was able to grab the pole and hold on. He didn't know how long the ride would last, but he knew it would be a while.


	4. The Barrier

When Leo woke up, he was lying on the deck, completely dry. The boat was still speeding through the calm ocean and rocking back and forth. He walked over to the side and stared out at the seemingly endless waves. There was nothing in sight. He went over to the other side and something caught his eye.

"STOP!" he yelled and immediately the boat slowed down to a halt. The heads of the hippocampi popped up above the surface and stared questioningly at him. A black spot was floating aimlessly. Looking closer, Leo could tell that it was a bunch of debris probably from a shipwreck. "Head over there really quickly, I want to check on that." The hippocampi ducked back under water and the _Argo II _began to slowly drift towards the wreckage. Bits of wood bumped into the hull and parted to let it through.

Leo scanned the wreckage for any survivors. A splash of pink caught his eye and he saw a girl lying on a big piece of driftwood. "Whoa." He said and the boat stopped. Quickly dropping a rope ladder, he climbed down and landed on the driftwood as it was floating by. The girl was unconscious and looked dehydrated.

Quickly scanning the rest of the debris, he saw no one else and thought to himself out loud, "I wander what happened. I should probably get her on board." He wrapped one of her arms around his neck and hefted her up. Grabbing the rope ladder, he yelled, "Alright Festus, bring us up." Leo heard the gears mashing together as the winch stared turning, pulling them up.

When they were on deck, the hippocampi popped their heads up and Leo asked them, "do you see anymore people down there?" they shook their heads. "Ok. We can continue." They disappeared again and the boat started moving.

Leo carried her below deck and laid her down in one of the beds. He nudged her, trying to wake her up. She opened her eyes but they were unfocused. He grabbed a chunk of ambrosia and a glass of water. He gave her a drink and fed her the ambrosia careful not to let her choke. As soon as the glass was empty, she feinted again. Leo sighed and set down the glass. He knew that glass wasn't enough to hydrate her.

Heading to the medical supply room, he grabbed an I.V. bag, needle and tube. Hanging the bag on a shelf just above her head, he hooked it up and carefully stuck the needle in her arm. Setting it to drip slowly, he saw the first few drops fall and begin the hydrating process. He walked back on deck and resumed waiting for them to arrive at the destination.

Two days passed, the hippocampi took the occasional break and Leo refilled the girl's I.V. at least once a day. He was standing at the helm, letting his mind wander every night he had the same nightmare, drowning in lava. His mind drifted to Calypso. He saw her face the last time he saw her, eyes tearing up and a look of abandonment on her face. Despite the look of abandonment, in her eyes was a hint of hope. He had hung on to that look of hope, keeping him up throughout the last month of so.

The sound of the door opening brought him back to reality and he turned to see the girl peeking out around the door, taking in the entire deck. "Hey, are you doing ok?" Leo asked. She shrank back for a second before spotting him and slowly emerged.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks. Who are you?"

"I'm Leo Valdez. You?"

"Pricilla. You wouldn't happen to be… a demigod would you?"

Leo smiled. "Son of Hephaestus, you?"

She looked down and away. "Daughter of Aphrodite. You haven't happened to see someone else near where you found me would you have?"

Leo looked concerned, "You weren't alone?"

"Well, it's a long story."

"We have time."

"Well, me and a friend of mine, also a son of Hephaestus, were following a satyr to a place he called Camp-Half-Blood. We got separated from him while trying to lose a monster and ended up running onto an abandoned boat and drifting off. The boat was nearly out of gas and we ran out quickly, not able to get back to shore. Soon, we couldn't see the shore and got lost. We drifted for a week, eating fish and finishing our water supplies. A storm came, a funnel cloud dropped down, and the boat was torn to pieces. My friend got thrown and sucked into the funnel cloud. After that I blacked out and woke up in the bed below deck."

Leo mulled it over in his head. They were probably near where he was when Zeus tried to take him and they probably got stuck in the aftermath. "I haven't seen him, but I have a feeling he is where I am heading right now. Ogygia. You guys are probably a last ditch attempt to sabotage my quest."

Her face was drained of all color by this point. "Quest?"

"Yeah, quest. Demigods occasionally go on quests to help people or gods. In my case, on a previous quest I made a promise to help a goddess. This time, I am going solo and I am going to fulfill that promise to Calypso no matter how much Zeus tries to stop me. I swore on the river Styx." With that last sentence, he started staring off into space and picturing Calypso's face the last time he saw her. Pricilla started wobbling as all of it sank in. "Go down below and find something to eat. The cornucopia on the table will get you what you want."

Pricilla wobbled down the stairs and the deck was once again quiet. Leo's thoughts began to drift. Before he knew it, the sun was setting once again. The hippocampi stopped to take a rest and sleep for the night so Leo decided to follow suit.

He didn't dream that night, but woke up early. He looked over to two beds down and saw Pricilla still curled up asleep. She had a half eaten SNICKERS in her hand and empty wrappers scattered all around. If he were to just glance at her, she would look just like piper, but with darker hair and shorter. He stretched and let that thought fade as he walked up on deck.

The sun was just coming up over the horizon and he remembered the morning on the island. A few days before he left Ogygia, he had stayed up working all night and decided to take a break and watch the sunrise. He had walked a ways away from his makeshift forge and sat in the sand, looking at the rolling waves bathed in red light. A slight movement caught his eye off toward the direction of his forge.

In the dim light, he could see Calypso tiptoeing up, looking around. When she didn't see him, she stopped tiptoeing and stared off into the sunrise. Leo's breath was torn from his lungs. She looked so beautiful. The breeze blew her hair out of her face and her almond shaped eyes sparkled. She lowered her head and muttered something to herself. Turning back inland, she shook her head and meandered off.

Leo's heart twisted as he thought about it. Coming back to reality, he realized he was staring into the face of the lead hippocampi. He had gotten free from the kelp rope. He nodded in the direction that the boat was facing and Leo understood. The barrier blocking him from Calypso was just ahead. When Leo looked back, the hippocampi were gone.

Pricilla walked up behind him and asked, "Are we there?"

"Not yet. There is a barrier blocking us from the island. Lets see if we can find it." He walked up to the bow and looked around Festus. Sure enough, there was a shimmer and a ripple in front of them. "Let's see something." Leo lit his hand on fire and Pricilla jumped back. Ignoring her, Leo threw a fireball at the ripple and after a second, it hit the barrier and spread out, reveling its exact location. Leo came to the conclusion that if it wouldn't even let fire through, there was no way it would let huge ship through.

His mind raced. How could he get through? There was nothing he had that would penetrate it, unless. Reaching into his tool belt, he pulled out the pouch that piper had given him. Opening it and looking inside, he saw a small black crystal. Dumping it into his hand, a small chunk fell off. Getting an idea, he took the small chunk that fell of and chucked it towards the barrier. Where it hit there was a small spark of electricity and a hole opened up in the barrier about the size of a cannon ball. Around the edges of the hole, arches of electricity sparked continuously. Through the gap, Leo was able to just glance the trees of the island in the distance before it closed up after three seconds. Leo's heart skipped a beat. They were within reach of the island and he had a plan.

He grabbed Pricilla's wrist and practically drug her to the control panel. He wrapped the rope around her waist and she gave an embarrassed gasp of protest but otherwise let him finish securing her to the pole. He pressed buttons furiously and finished preparing for the quick trip they were about to take.

"Ok, you need to listen now. Here is the plan. I will stand at the front. And when I say 'now', wait two seconds and push that flashing button right there on the control panel. There will be an exploding sound and we will shoot forward. We have approximately three seconds to get through or we are toast. Think you can do that?" she nodded, unable to speak. "Also, after you push the button, try and grab me before I smash into the door behind you, ok? I will be running but I might not make it before the burn starts. Ready?" she nodded and Leo smiled a crazy smile. "Here we go."

Leo jogged to the canter of the deck and broke the crystal in two, putting one half back in the pouch and into his tool belt. He judged his shot "One." He stared at the ripple in the air. "Two!" he set his stance. "Three!" he wound up for the throw. "NOW!" he released the crystal, turned around and hauled tail to reach the pole. Exactly two seconds later, the crystal struck the barrier and a giant hole twice the size of the ship exploded open at the exact same time she pushed the button. The thrusters caught at the exact moment Leo grabbed the pole and planted his feet. The ship shot towards the rapidly closing gap. Leo wasn't sure they were going to make it. Festus had to duck his head to keep it from hitting the top of the hole and the rest of the _Argo II_ squeezed through with no room to spare.

The thrusters died and the boat slowed to a halt about a half-mile from the shore. Leo pried his hands from the bar and jumped in the air, whooping and hollering for joy. He was almost there.

**Thanks guys for all of the support. Special thanks to ****_Goodorevilangel-yourchoice_**** for without whom I probably wouldn't have written this much. Thank you ****_Goodorevilangel-yourchoice_**** for your, how should I say this, incentive? Yeah. lets just say incentive to keep me writing in the review section. Anyway, thanks for staying with me and I hope you all have enjoyed it so far.**


	5. The Friend

Leo jumped off of the rope ladder and onto the sand. Something immediately felt wrong. The explosion should have gotten Calypso's attention and she should be running towards to the beach. He looked around and saw that his makeshift forge was still there, but had been destroyed by someone. Priscilla jumped down next to him and looked around.

She felt something was off as well and unsheathed her sword that she got from the armory. The mountain rose above them menacingly and seemed to be staring at them. Leo took a tentative step forward. If Calypso hadn't shown up yet, something was wrong.

Leo took off towards the tree line, trying to find his way to the garden. Leaping around trees, Priscilla tried to follow, but was getting farther and farther behind. Pain Shot up his leg and his face hit the dirt as something landed on top of him. His fighting instincts kicked in and he wiggled free and hopped to his feet. Leo saw a glint of metal coming straight for his chest and dodged just in time to keep from being impaled by a celestial bronze sword.

Oh great, Leo thought, he had a sword and all I have is a shield and a dagger. He mentally slapped himself upside the back of the head. Duh, I have fire. His assailant was hiding in the brush and kept leaping out and attacking so fast, Leo couldn't see them. He just had enough time to dodge or block the attacks.

Leo caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye and threw a fireball quickly, hoping to hit them. He barely missed but he slowed them down enough to glimpse their face. Priscilla came crashing through the foliage and gasped.

"Phil?"

"Priscilla?" oh great, he had been attacked by her friend.

"Why were you attacking me?"

Phil pointed his sword back to Leo. "What are you doing with Priscilla?"

"I saved her life, genius, now why were you attacking me?"

Phil's face relaxed a little and he lowered his sword. "I thought you were the one who took Calyps…" he didn't have time to finish the sentence before Leo was sprinting off again. Priscilla held Phil back from chasing after him offensively.

"He came here to get her off this island. He is here to help."

Leo ran up to the house. The garden surrounding it was dry and withered. The fountain was destroyed the same way his forge had been. Keeping his dagger drawn and shield at the ready, he peered inside the house. Everything was strewn about. There was definitely a struggle. Not even the wind spirits were anywhere to be seen.

Priscilla and Phil came jogging up behind him. Priscilla gasped, but Phil only looked around sadly. Leo turned to them and said, "Here is what I want you to do. Go back to the ship. From there, you will see a stream a little ways behind the rubble of the forge I built when I was here. Follow it upstream until you see a bunch of Celestial bronze. Gather as much as you can in an hour. From there, drive the ship through the air up to the top of that mountain. Yes, it can fly. The dragon head will get you in the air, you will just have to steer. Go." They only hesitated a moment before running off to do what Leo instructed.

He turned towards the mountain. It was going to be a long and tiring trek. But he would do anything for Calypso.

**I know it short. I promise the next one won't be. I just had to set the situation up.**


	6. The Volcano

Leo stopped in the center of a clearing, gasping for breath. He had been running full speed for a half an hour and was barely half way up the mountain. Kneeling next to a stream, he took a long drink of water and sat down. H would only catch his breath then continue until he reached the top. It was starting to get dark and he knew he was running out of time.

Priscilla dropped what she was carrying into the pile they had made in the cargo area. Quickly running back outside to jump down and grab another armful. Phil was running back with his armload and sweating just as bad as she was. She took in one last armload and looked at the sun.

When Phil returned with his load she stopped him saying, "Our hour is up. Its time to head to the mountain." He nodded and dropped his load. Both of them headed to the control panel. They stared at the many buttons and looked at each other helplessly.

"How are we going to get this thing to fly?" Phil asked. The dragonhead turned around to stare at them. They both jumped. Festus clicked and whirred.

"Is that thing alive?" Phil asked Priscilla. "He just said to push the green button."

"Then push the green button." He did and the oars, all fixed, slid out from the sides. With a rush of air, they were knocked to the ground as the boat rose quickly. It turned toward the mountain and sailed off.

Leo had reached the top and was quietly sneaking around, looking for Calypso. A noise caught his attention and he turned toward it. He crept through the tinning trees until he found himself on the edge of a volcano. Looking down, he saw that there was lava bubbling under him. His dream came rushing back to him and he stepped away. Quickly turning in a defensive position, he saw a hulking figure.

"Zeus, where is Calypso?" he demanded.

Zeus smiled and brought his hand out from behind his back. He was holding her by the collar of her t-shirt and she was unconscious. "She is right here."

"Why are you doing this? Why have you kept her here for so long? She has served her sentence."

"You don't know her sentence. She is to never leave this island. One way or another, she won't." he extended his arm until she was hanging over the lava. "You have been strong to make it this far, but it was all for nothing. You have sealed her death and yours." He hesitated for a moment, and let go.

Leo's heart dropped. Before he knew what he was doing, he inserted the Archimedes sphere into the shield, pushed the button and launched it like a Frisbee after her. He hoped that did the trick and turned towards the god. Before he could react, the god swiped at him and hit him over the lip of the volcano. He didn't make a sound as he plummeted towards his nightmare coming true. He saw the gold disk fly past him. It had caught her. He turned in mid air and saw Zeus leap for the disk. Leo shot a fireball at him and it intercepted his hand just before it reached Calypso. It spun him off balance and he started plummeting as well. Halfway down, he disappeared, heading back to mount Olympus.

Leo hit the lava at terminal velocity, and it felt like hitting solid ground. He blacked out for a second and woke up, submerged. He started kicking, trying to swim for the surface. He was running out of air. Just as his lungs were about to burst, he reached the surface, gasping. He was running out of strength and it was difficult to swim in lava.

He started sinking again and just before his head went under, he saw the glint of the hull of the _Argo II. _The disk flew over to the deck and Leo went under. Leo felt relieved. Calypso was safe and Phil and Priscilla would keep her safe and find a way off of this island. He felt satisfied that his quest was complete and he embraced his fate. He closed his eyes and waited for his warm death.

Something wrapped around his wrist, yanking him out of his trance. It started pulling him up and he broke the surface. Phil was gasping for breath next to him as he grabbed Leo under the arms. Leo choked on some lava and felt as they were being pulled up by a rope ladder back onto the deck of the _Argo II_. Phil laid him down and Leo just sat there, gasping for breath. Phil was now wrapped in a blanket since his clothes weren't fireproof, and Priscilla was just standing there awkwardly. Thankfully, the clothes that Calypso had made for him were lava proof, and… Calypso!

Leo sprang to his feet and his entire body protested. Despite the pain, he stumbled over to the unconscious girl. He put his finger under her nose to see if she was breathing. He picked her up and started to carry her below deck. Buford the wonder table followed them. He set her down in his bed and sat down. A huge explosion sounded just below them. He told Buford to make sure she stayed safe and ran outside and looked down. The volcano was erupting. Perfect. He rushed to the control panel and grabbed the Wii remote. Waving it furiously, he got the ship turned around and moving towards the shore. The volcano rumbled again.

No time. He saw the shore pass by below them. They were moving fast. The volcano exploded and a wall of hot ash came rushing towards them. The barrier was coming up. He knew it wouldn't let them out.

Reaching into his tool belt, he grabbed the last crystal of Pluto's barrier eating rock and launched it. It hit the barrier and the hole was just big enough. He gave Priscilla a look and she understood. She pulled Phil over to a pole and held on. Leo grabbed the control panel and pushed the flashing red button. Leo hoped Buford anticipated this and that Calypso would be ok. They shot through the hole and kept going. A plume of hot ash spewed out the hole just before it closed, but it didn't reach them. The thrusters burned out and they gradually slowed to a halt.


	7. The Sirens

Leo woke up and looked over at the bed next to him. Calypso still hadn't woken up yet. They had been drifting for a few days and the navigation systems were malfunctioning. The only thing even somewhat exciting was that the spider automaton had finally come out of hiding and had taken a liking to Phil and tolerated Priscilla. The weather had been clear with absolutely no wind.

Leo had gotten to hear Phil and Priscilla's story. It was the typical demigod story, going through childhood, knowing that you are special, just not knowing how special. They grew up together as neighbors in Mississippi but were soon separated from their families and ended up on the streets together. That was when the satyr showed up and started guiding them. They were claimed by their godly parents while fighting monsters on the way to the camp. There was nothing too unusual until they got separated from the satyr and was either found by him or stranded on the island.

Leo could see that there was something going on between them, but they denied it a little too profusely. He just shrugged it off. He headed back downstairs to check on Calypso and instructed them to tell him of anything unusual the second they saw or heard it.

He pulled up a chair next to her bed and sat down. He didn't quite know what to do and sat there awkwardly. She looked beautiful when she slept. Any sign of stress lines vanished and her face was completely relaxed. He reached for her hand, but hesitated. After an internal struggle, he decided to grab her hand in both of his. Maybe the contact would nudge her awake. No luck. Even though, he didn't let go. It somehow felt right to hold her hand.

"Uh, Leo? You might want to see this." Priscilla called from above deck. Leo gently placed her hand back to her side and let go. Rushing back on deck, he spotted Priscilla and Phil leaning over the rail looking down. He walked over to them and followed their gaze. Hovering just over the water was a thin tendril of mist. Leo followed it back to its source and had to remind himself to keep breathing. Towering over them was a wall of thick, salty mist. Before any of them could react, it engulfed the entire boat and silence over came them. The thick fog muffled even the soft splashing of small waves running against the hull.

"Guys, you might want to get below deck." No one moved. Leo thought he heard something… too late. His mind went fuzzy and was filled with only the loveliest melody he had heard in his life.

Priscilla was appalled by the sound. It sounded like forks scratching against a plate mixed with fingernails on a chalkboard. She looked into Phil's eyes and her heart sank. They were distant and unfocussed. Oh great, she thought, sirens. Sure enough, three watery heads slowly came up over the railing. Phil took a slow step towards them and Priscilla tried to stop him. He may have been lanky, but he sure was strong. Everything she did didn't work. Finally, she grabbed a rope and tied it around his waist. Looping it around the leg of the control panel, she pulled as hard as she could. That stopped him in his tracks, but that was it. He kept trying to walk forward, but she held fast.

She tied her end of the rope to a pole and tried to spot Leo. By the time she could spot him through the tick fog it was too late to reach him. One of the sirens reached out to grab his arm. The screeching of the forks grew more intense the closer he got. The three sirens lunged for him but stopped just before grabbing him. A fourth voice had started up, freezing even the siren's screeches.

Leo's vision became crisp in a split second. He was inches away from being grabbed by three sirens but the song he was now hearing was clearing his head instead of making it fuzzy. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized the voice. Turning slowly, he was overjoyed to see Calypso standing, let alone singing. Her song was mesmerizing.

She was singing in Greek, which Leo could understand perfectly. She was singing about a fisherman who left his girl and home to go on a dangerous journey. He perished during a storm but his spirit drifted back home to find his girl holding their newborn daughter. The wife saw his spirit and welcomed him home forever, for she was a spirit as well. Both she and the daughter died during birth and joined him. The last words of the song she sang in English and it echoed through the fog. _Together, always and forever._ Leo couldn't tear his eyes away from her. His heart beat faster and his stomach did a back flip. They ran for each other and collided into an embrace. They stared into each other's eyes. Leo caught a glimpse of Phil and Priscilla in a similar situation a little ways off. Calypso kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for saving me on top of the volcano. I know what happened." Leo's heart fluttered. "But don't you ever almost die on me like that again. Do you hear?"

"I don't have to now." He caught Phil's eye and they both nodded. Phil kissed Priscilla on the lips and Leo brought Calypso into a kiss. He was complete.


	8. The Escape

Leo was laying on his back messing with the wires connected to the control system, trying to figure out what was wrong. Phil was next to him, trying to just figure out Leo's line of thinking when he was making this. Priscilla was sitting next to Festus and looking out for danger. Calypso was rummaging through the celestial bronze they had gathered and was taking inventory.

Leo could find absolutely nothing wrong with the navigation. He slammed the panel closed in frustration and slid out from under it Festus gave a whir of indignation. He stayed down and just stared up at the sky. Phil, sensing that Leo needed some time, got up and joined Priscilla. The sun was starting to set and the sky turned orange. Phil and Priscilla headed inside and left him to his thoughts. 'I wish Percy were here,' he thought to himself. 'He would be able to navigate just based on the currents.'

At this point Calypso stepped out and spotted him. She walked over and lay down next to him, grabbing his hand and looking at the emerging stars. "There is nothing wrong with the Navigation system, but it doesn't work?" Leo squeezed her hand in acknowledgement. "I heard the slam from down there. I'm sorry."

"Don't say that, there is nothing for you to be sorry about. I should be the one that is sorry. I came to rescue you and I have only managed to get you off the island and get is so lost, the navigation doesn't even want to work."

She gave a giggle that made Leo's stomach clench. That was the first time he heard her giggle and he liked it. "Well, at least you got me off of that island. Three thousand years in the same place can really get to someone. Priscilla told me about your furnace. I'm sorry he destroyed that. I tried to keep it standing, but…" Leo squeezed her hand gently.

"Don't worry about the furnace. I don't need it anymore." He pulled her closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, allowing her to use his arm as a pillow. The night air was warm and beautiful. Before he knew it, Calypso was breathing slowly and drifting off to sleep. He kept staring at the stars. Something unsettled him about them, but before he could think about it too much, he too, drifted off to sleep.

Oceans. Oceans as far as the eye can see. Leo's dream snapped into focus and he was drifting on an endless ocean, no land in sight. He looked around and nothing but the sight of water met his eyes. The waves quickly got bigger and faster and the clouds got darker and heavier. Soon, he was in a full-blown hurricane. The waves were thrashing him around, dunking him and throwing him into the air.

He was treading water and a shadow fell over him. Looking up, he saw a fifty-foot wave towering over him. The wave crested and came crashing down toward him. As soon as it hit him, his eyes flashed open and Calypso was shaking him awake.

"Are you ok? You were thrashing in your sleep and yelling." The sun was just coming over the horizon and he figured Phil and Priscilla were still sleeping.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Just a dream." She helped him stand and they went to get some breakfast. The cornucopia gave them toast and eggs with orange juice. While they were eating, Priscilla came in with Phil close on her heels. While they were eating, Leo gave a status report.

"so here is what's going on. The navigation system is still not working. The compass I made is going haywire and I wasn't able to use the stars last night for guidance. Wait a second. Calypso, did you recognize any constellations last night?"

She thought for a second and frowned. "Now that I think about it, I didn't. Oh no." she rested her head in her hands. "I know where we are."

"You do?" Phil piped up.  
"Yeah. Before Zeus stranded me on that island a couple thousand years ago, he had me drifting aimlessly through a place he and Poseidon made. It is a place that is connected to the Atlantic but not technically a part of the world, kind of like another dimension. He had me drifting here while he made the island. We are quite literally in the middle of No Where."

"Literally?" Priscilla asked.

"Literally. Zeus called this place 'No Where'. He has trapped us here until you guys die and he can take me back to Ogygia."

"Whoa, that is NOT going to happen." Leo said. "There has got to be a way out." The idea hit him like a ton of bricks. "The Mechanism." He rushed to Buford and grabbed the mechanism with the crystal that he had used to find Ogygia. Running in, he set it on the table in front of everyone and thought, 'how do I get this to work again?' while he was thinking, the crystal glowed brightly and another slip of paper slid out as it dimmed back down.

Calypso grabbed it and read aloud, "Try Roman." Everyone looked confused. "Roman what?"

Leo's face lit up. "Everyone on deck. You are going to want to see this."

Once everyone was gathered, Leo grabbed the Wii remote and made the preparations to get the _Argo II_ into the air. "Hold on." He swung the Wii remote and the oars slid out. Soon, they were in the air only a few feet. Sailing through the air to no particular place was where they needed to go.

"Are you guys ready for this?" they looked at each other confused. He just chuckled to himself. Turning to the port side, he yelled, "Yo! Tempest!" nothing happened. He waited a few more seconds. In the distance, Leo heard rolling thunder and smiled. A few seconds later, the storm spirit landed on the deck and was staring at him, impatiently hoofing the ground.

"Thanks, man. Do you think you can get us out of this place? We need to get back to camp." The spirit turned and looked back as if telling them to follow him. Quick as a bolt of lightning, he shot off into the sky where he became only a dot. Leo turned toward the dot and sailed on. As he watched, the spot grew rapidly and turned into a storm cloud. The waves picked up and the cloud covered the sky. Lightning struck the water and Tempest roared above them. In the distance, a funnel cloud dropped down and a full-blown hurricane started.

Leo's dream was revealing its self before his eyes. He knew he had to get to the eye of the hurricane. Going at full speed, the rain came down and drenched them all within seconds. Keeping true, Leo shielded his eyes from the rain with his arm. He gained altitude and kept going. From below, what he feared was going to happen did. A huge wave curled up out of the ocean and towered over them, blocking their path.

It grew to be too high to try and fly over it quickly. Leo's mind raced. Looking around, he saw Calypso ushering Priscilla below deck. She turned and nodded, indicating his clothes. It was risky, but they didn't have time. Turning to Phil, he yelled over the wind. "We are going to make a lot of fire. Just think about fire shooting from your hands." Phil closed his eyes and concentrated. The wave loomed ever closer. Looking behind the ship, he saw a waterfall with nothing else behind it. Zeus was destroying the place. Phil's hands flashed and fire flew from is fingertips even with the rain.

"Perfect!" Leo said, "Now, I want you to produce as much fire as you can as hot as you can, got it?" Phil nodded. "Alright, on the count of three. One." The wave was a thousand feet away. "Two!" now it was only a hundred feet away. It loomed over the top of them and the crest came rushing down on them. "THREE!" they both burst into an inferno, flash evaporating all of the water around them. The entire boat was covered in flames hotter than the lava Leo had almost drowned in. The wave split into two as it intercepted the fireball that was growing brighter.

When it had passed, they both collapsed exhausted. Leo crawled over to the control panel and used it to help him stand. He adjusted the course to get them back on track and watched as the abyss behind them grew and started to catch up. The ship sailed into the funnel cloud, just as the abyss reached them and they stopped in the eye. He grabbed a blanket and covered Phil. His clothed were incinerated and he had passed out.

He walked back over to the control panel to see the navigation system light up and start running. Before it could pinpoint their location, Leo collapsed, passing out.


	9. The Battle (Finale)

Leo's eyes fluttered open. Propping himself up on his elbow, he saw that Calypso was asleep in a chair next to his bed and was holding his hand. He sat up and Lifted Calypso's hand to wake her. She opened her eyes and stretched, keeping ahold of his hand. "It's good to see you are awake. You were out for a while."

"How long exactly?"

"About a day. Phil figured out the control panel and we are heading for New York. We landed in the middle of the Atlantic between Argentina and South Africa. We should get there in two days." She sat beside him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She had either gotten shorter or he had gotten taller. When he first visited Ogygia, they had been about the same height. He realized that his shirt was off and started to wander.

As if reading his mind, she said, "You were still burning up when we brought you down here. I took it off to help you cool down." Leo's face grew red and he spotted the shirt neatly folded up on the table next to the bed. He slipped it on and wrapped his arm back around her. He noticed that the holes he had torn in it while running through the forest were gone.

"I fixed your shirt while you were sleeping. You really did a number on it."

"Can you read my mind or something?" he asked, "That is a little freaky, twice in one minute."

She chuckled. "No, I can just read your expressions."

They sat there for a minute in silence, enjoying the peace. Finally, Leo's stomach growled loud enough for Calypso to hear. "I think that is my cue to get something to eat." They both laughed and stood up, walking to the dining table. The monitors were showing the rebuilding efforts at Camp-Half-Blood. Percy was working on the roof to the big house and Annabeth was mulling over the blueprints for a new storage shed. Frank and Hazel were gone and Jason and Piper were carrying supplies around, delivering nails here and paint there.

Leo's stomach twisted as he thought about something that had been looming in the back of his mind, but he had never quite thought about. "Calypso, when we get back, what are you going to do?"

She mulled over the question for a bit. She hadn't really thought about what she would do after getting off of the island. "I'm not sure."

"Oh." Leo's heart sank. He didn't know what he was expecting, maybe that she would stay with him, or at least stay at the camp. "Well, at least you have some time to think about it." Calypso heard the hint of bitterness in his voice and realized what he was thinking. She was immortal and he was mortal. She didn't know how to respond, so they sat there in an awkward silence for a few minutes.

Priscilla came running down and poked her head around the doorframe. Spotting Leo, she said, "Oh, you're awake." She felt the tension in the air and shuffled her feet for a second not remembering what she had come down there for. "Oh yeah, Phil had a question for you. It was something about the controls. So…" another bout of awkward silence went on. "Ok, then." She backed out and hurried up the stairs.

Leo stood and said, "I should probably go and answer his question." He left the room and Calypso sat there. Thinking about what she was going to do.

A day passed and they had said little between each other. Phil and Priscilla didn't know what to say, so they stayed silent around the two. Leo took back control of the ship and spent most of the day at the controls, staring at the waves in the distance. The shore of Florida came into view and his heart twisted. The quest was almost over and he didn't know what would happen. As Leo watched the sun set, he decided to drop anchor off the coast of New Jersey so they could reach New York in the morning.

Heading down stairs, he found the others already asleep. He decided that he wasn't tired and walked into the engine room. He sat there thinking.

He hadn't slept a wink, but the sun was about to rise. He walked up on deck and raised the anchor. The coast of New York came into sight as the sun was rising. He heard steps behind him and saw Calypso standing there, staring at the floor. He walked over to her. Priscilla and Phil came walking up the stairs, holding hands. As soon as Priscilla spotted them, she stopped in her tracks, pushing Phil back down the stairs to give them some privacy. Festus brought them into the air as they got closer to the shore of Long Island.

"I'm sorry I asked that question so soon." Leo said. "I knew it was too early, but I didn't think." Calypso looked up and he saw her eyes were tearing up.

"It wasn't too soon. I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't know what to say. I hadn't thought about what was going to happen after I got off the island, especially with you. I guess I figured…"

The ship listed to the side unexpectedly, causing them to stumble. Leo caught her before she could fall, and looked around. Phil and Priscilla came running up on deck looking confused. Phil had brought an extra sword for Leo from the pile of Celestial Bronze they had gathered and handed it to him.

"What's going on?" Priscilla asked.

Leo's heart raced. It was no doubt Zeus trying to stop them once again. He pushed a button and a rope ladder unrolled from the side.

"Here is what I want you to do," he said addressing Phil, "I want you to take Priscilla and Calypso back to the camp. Get Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper, and come back for me. Make sure she stays safe." He finished, pointing at Calypso. "Leave her at the camp. Festus will get you there. I will stay and distract Zeus." He walked over to the ladder and looked down. They were over Central Park. "When I reach the bottom, go." Slinging the sword and shield over his back, he started climbing down the rope ladder. When he reached the bottom, the ladder was hauled back up and the ship set off at full speed.

Looking around, he saw that the park was empty, all except for one man who was standing in the shadow of a tree.

"Alright, Zeus, I'm here. What do you want?" the man walked out from the shade and smiled. He was a very muscular man with a big sword strapped to his back.

"I just want to talk." He said slyly.

"The sword says otherwise. I'm not stupid. I know what's going on. You want to kill me. So, I think it is fair that you at least tell me why you didn't want her to leave the island. You owe me that much."

"I don't owe you ANYTHING!" he said, making the ground shake. "Although, I will tell you just so you understand what you have gotten yourself into. Do you know why I punished her the way I did? Making it to where she would be visited by heroes with whom she would fall in love with, but that they would have to go as soon as she did?

"It is because of what she did to me. Way back when, when Greece was first gaining strength, she tried to get me to fall in love with her. She tried very hard, doing everything she could, but I wouldn't pay her much attention. Finally, she began to catch my eye, and when I did finally fall in love with her, she decided to move on. That infuriated me, so I punished her the way she had hurt me. I banished her to the ocean Poseidon and I had made to punish sailors who got on Poseidon's nerves while Hephaestus and I made Ogygia.

"When we were done, I stranded her there and made a barrier that would allow a hero that I specifically chose to torture her in once and out once. Little did I know that Odysseus built that contraption that would contact Iris, who thought I was over reacting on the whole situation, and find a way to reach it again. Poseidon also thought I was over reacting keeping her there for so long. However, little did I suspect that Pluto would give you a crystal that could disable the barrier for a short time.

"Anyway, to make a long story short, she will do the same thing to you that she did to me. She has already started to pull away, hasn't she?"

Leo didn't answer. He knew that she wouldn't do that, but something about his words made him doubt himself. She didn't say that she would stay with him, she also didn't say she would leave, but she didn't say she would stay.

"You know what Zeus," he said drawing his sword, "She might not stay with me, but if she doesn't I know that it is what makes her happy. If she is happy, that is all I need. Granted, it will be difficult to let her go, but I love her and I wouldn't want to do anything to keep her from being happy. And that is a lot more than you can say.

"So, the question is now, do you think you can kill me?"

Zeus drew his sword. "Easily." He leapt for Leo, swinging his sword. Leo jumped out of the way, the blade missing his cheek by mere hundredths of an inch. The god swung again and Leo dodged it. His adrenaline was pumping and he was shooting around, dodging every blow. He finally decided to go on the offensive. He clashed swords on the next strike and swung for his legs. The god jumped, but Leo caught him coming down on his back swing and nicked his shin. A small drop of golden ichor dripped onto the ground and was soaked into the dirt. Zeus grew furious and began attacking twice as fast.

Leo dodged or blocked every strike and matched the god step for step. He was running on pure fighting instincts. He jumped to the side and rolled back onto his feet, throwing a fireball that Zeus dodged. Leo caught a glimpse of movement behind a tree but didn't have time to think about it. It was probably just a mortal, who was strolling by, unaware of the battle going on. He saw the gleam of the hull of the _Argo II_. The sight of the ship distracted him long enough for Zeus to gain the upper hand. Within seconds, Zeus had him beaten down to his knees, gasping for breath.

Zeus raised his sword, ready for the final strike. With a flash, the sword came down, but Leo was knocked to the side, out of the way. Looking around, dazed, he saw Calypso, standing up next to him. She had tackled him and managed to hit her head on the ground, scratching her forehead on a branch. Ichor was dripping out of the gash on her forehead, but not at an alarming rate. Zeus looked confused for a second. Then spotted Calypso. "YOU!" He bellowed.

"HEY!" the shout came from above and Leo looked up to see that back up had arrived. Percy, Jason, Piper, Annabeth, Priscilla, and Phil all jumped down from the deck of the ship that was hovering just above the ground. They all pulled out swords or daggers and ran to form a defensive line in front of Leo and Calypso. Leo stood up and joined them, standing in the middle.

"I think you lost this battle." Percy said.

"Did I?" he asked challengingly. He rushed forward and swung his sword. Everyone jumped out of the way except Leo who blocked the swing with his sword. The others encircled the god and started attacking from every direction. Zeus blocked many of the strikes, but a few hit their marks scratching his arms, legs, chest, back, and face. Soon, he was breathing heavily and his attacks were slower and weaker. Finally, he fell to one knee and the swings stopped.

"Alright!" Zeus yelled. "I am out matched. But let me tell you," he said pointing at Leo and Calypso, if you two are ever in my domain, you will live." He started to glow, forcing everyone to look away, and vanished. Everyone stood there in a stunned silence. Percy walked over to Leo.

"Are you alright?" Leo nodded and looked over at Calypso. Everyone got the hint and backed off giving them room.

"I know you heard what he said. Is it true?" she looked down.

"About what I did to him yes."

"What about with me? What are you going to do?"

She lowered her eyes and Started to cry. "I heard what you said, about making me happy and… no one has ever thought that. I… I will…" Leo's jaw dropped. The golden ichor that was still dripping from her head turned red. She had given up her immortality. "I want to stay with you." He rushed up and embraced her. She started crying harder and he didn't let go. His heart clenched as she wrapped her arms around him and tears rolled from his eyes too. Percy and Jason wrapped their arms around Annabeth and Piper, and Phil held Priscilla's hand.

Leo held Calypso back for a second and wiped the blood from her face, staring into her eyes. He turned towards the other and said, "I can't go back in Festus while he is in the air. You guys go on ahead, we will walk back." They nodded and climbed back onboard. Percy and Annabeth stayed on the ground and waved Jason to go on without them.

"We will walk on ahead and take care of any monsters for you." Leo shrugged as if to say, 'it's not like I can stop you', and Percy and Annabeth walked off holding hands. Leo wrapped his arm around Calypso, and she supported him as he limped on.

When they reached the border to the camp, they stopped for a moment. "Welcome to Camp-Half-Blood." He said, staring into her eyes. "Welcome to our new home." He bent his neck down and kissed her on the forehead. She brought him into a hug and they walked across the border.

The entire camp greeted them at the newly built dining pavilion. The hall echoed with deafening applause as they walked in and the crowed welcomed the hero who had survived his solo quest.

**Thus ends the story. I had a hard time figuring out how to end this and I had many ideas. Keep watching for updates because I will be posting an alternate ending soon. The alternate ending was what I first wanted to post, but I knew you guys would hate me for it, so now I am giving you a warning. I hope you all liked the story and I hope you will give me feedback on how I did. Also, I am looking for ideas on what to write next, so if you have any suggestions, fire away. Also, I will be going back and editing the story, and adding stuff to try and make it better, so check back every so often to see what I have changed.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters (Except for Phil and Priscilla. The only other thing I own is the scenarios and the specific plot.) All rights reserved to Rick Riordan.**


	10. Alternate Ending Part I

"Anyway, to make a long story short, she will do the same thing to you that she did to me. She has already started to pull away, hasn't she?"

Leo didn't answer. He knew that she wouldn't do that, but something about his words made him doubt himself. She didn't say that she would stay with him, she also didn't say she would leave, but she didn't say she would stay.

"You know what Zeus," he said drawing his sword, "She might not stay with me, but if she doesn't I know that it is what makes her happy. If she is happy, that is all I need. Granted, it will be difficult to let her go, but I love her and I wouldn't want to do anything to keep her from being happy. And that is a lot more than you can say.

"So, the question is now, do you think you can kill me?"

Zeus drew his sword. "Easily." He leapt for Leo, swinging his sword. Leo raised his shield just in time to deflect it and swing his sword. Zeus easily blocked it and stayed on the offensive. Leo had a hard time keeping up with the blows. He got lucky once and was able to scratch Zeus's cheek, a drop of golden ichor running down to his chin.

"Very good," the god said, the scratch healing quickly, "But it will take a lot more than that to win." He jumped at the demigod, swinging faster than before. Leo was just able to block everything.

Phil saw a lake spread below them and saw a bunch of half built cabins in a U shape a little farther ahead. The ship descended until it was hovering above a group of demigods, staring wide-eyed. Phil, Priscilla, and Calypso jumped down.

"Percy, Jason!" he called. Two guys ran up from the back of the Crowed.

"Who are you?" Percy asked.

"Phil, son of Hephaestus, and Priscilla, daughter of Aphrodite." He said indicating to her standing next to him. "Leo told us to come and get you. He is holding off Zeus who has been trying to kill us the entire time. She needs to stay here," He said pointing at Calypso, "This is Calypso, the one Leo saved on his quest."

Jason turned and pointed to two people in the crowed and said, "you two, take her to the dining hall and make sure she stays there."

"No," she protested. "I am going to go back and help. I owe him that much."

"Leo's orders," Phil said. Percy nodded at the two and they ushered her away. They had to practically carry her because she was trying to get back on the ship.

"Leo told me to get you two, Annabeth, and Piper and go back to help him." Annabeth and Piper rushed up from the crowed and nodded.

"Nice to meet you," they said. They all hopped onto the ship and headed back to help their friend.

Leo was tiring quickly. Zeus had conjured a storm and was trying to strike him with lightning as well as with his sword.

"This is going to be so enjoyable. You have ruined my plan for her and you made me destroy the world I created. The best part is that you did it for nothing. She will leave you and throw you away." That last insult flared Leo's anger. His heart started to beat faster and strength flowed through his limbs. He saw that is arms had caught on fire and he went on the offensive. The lighting had stopped because Zeus was too focused on blocking Leo's strikes.

Festus was going full speed, but the storm was buffeting them around and making it hard to stay on course. The only indication that they were going in the right direction was the bolts of lightning that flashed just ahead of them. Percy heard an odd clicking sound and looked around. He saw a rope ladder being winched up and his heart sank. He knew immediately that Calypso had escaped her escorts and stowed away while they weren't looking. She had just got off to reach Leo faster. Leo was going to kill him.

Leo saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye and his heart dropped. The distraction was enough for Zeus to land a solid kick into his chest. Leo staggered to his feet and saw that Zeus had spotted Calypso, hiding behind a tree. Zeus raised his sword to cut the tree in half. "Calypso, run!" Leo yelled. She jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the sword, but tripped and hit her head on a rock that was jutting out of the ground. She tried sitting up, obviously dazed. Zeus raised his sword again. Leo knew he didn't have time. He ran and dove. Calypso's eyes widened as she saw the sword come down. She was pushed to the side just before it struck. Leo looked down. The blade was lodged in his torso just below his rib cage. He stumbled back and fell against a tree.

"LEO!" Calypso ran to him. The crew on the _Argo II _jumped off and stared. With a flash, Zeus vanished. "Leo. Why did you do that?"

"I saw that the sword would destroy immortals. I couldn't watch him do that to you." Percy, Jason, Annabeth, Piper, Phil, and Priscilla watched as the other eleven major gods appeared in a semicircle around Leo and Calypso. Leo's eyes fell on his father. "Dad, I know you helped to make that island, but I hope I still made you proud."

Hephaestus looked down at his son. "I couldn't be more proud."

Leo looked back at Calypso. "Calypso, could you sing again? Could you sing that song you did with the sirens?" She sobbed and nodded. Despite the tears she sang the best she ever had. Her voice reverberated through the park.

She sang in Greek about a fisherman who left his girl and home to go on a dangerous journey. He perished during a storm but his spirit drifted back home to find his girl holding their newborn daughter. The wife saw his spirit and welcomed him home forever, for she was a spirit as well. Both she and the daughter died during birth and joined him. The last words of the song she sang in English and it echoed through the park. _Together, always and forever._

_"_Remember that, always and forever." Leo closed his eyes and gave his last sigh.

Calypso brought him into a hug and sobbed into his shoulder. Every demigod took a knee and lowered their heads. Finally, Calypso brought her head up.

"Calypso," the gods and Goddesses said in unison, "We release you from your bonds of immortality and allow you to join this great hero. Cherish this gift from us." Calypso's eyes widened as she began to glow. The demigods looked on in shock as she started to disappear from her feet up.

Calypso looked down one last time and bent down to give Leo one last kiss before she completely vanished.

The eleven gods vanished. Where Hephaestus stood was a stretcher. Percy and Jason went over, grabbed it, and brought it over to Leo. They slid him on it and the six of them lifted him onto their shoulders. Festus extended a ramp for them to walk up and they sailed for the camp.

Festus landed in the lake and extended the ramp for them to carry him down to the shore. The entire camp was gathered and parted to let them through. They stared at the hero with the sword still embedded in his torso. They carried him to the fire circle and placed him on the wooden table placed right in the middle. Everyone bowed their heads. The Hephaestus cabin placed wood underneath the table and Phil started the fire.

Everyone watched as the hero became ashes, joining the many heroes before him.

When the sun was rising the next day, the Hephaestus cabin, went to fire, and found the sword. Heading to the forge, they melted it down and molded it into a plaque.

_Leo Valdez_

_Son of Hephaestus_

_Hero_


	11. Alternate Ending Part II

Calypso opened her eyes. Looking around, she saw that she was standing in her house back on Ogygia. Her heart sank. Had this just been a dream? She walked around. The wind spirits were doing the dishes and cleaning up. She grew sick to her stomach. Maybe working in her garden would sheer her up. She stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air.

She saw a figure hunched down in her garden. She walked over, about ready to scold them for ruining her beautiful flowers. As she got closer, the figure stood and turned around. Her heart nearly exploded.

"Hi." Leo wiped the dirt off his hands. She ran to him and leapt into his arms. He pushed her shoulders back so he could look into her eyes. He bent down and kissed her forehead. "Welcome to Elysium."


End file.
